Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus Bundles with Sage Infused Sour Cream

See, I do eat vegetables. (Granted, they’re almost always wrapped in some kind of pork product, but still.)

Asparagus, even! Some folks would say it’s not possible. When I was a kid, I hated asparagus so much that I used to hide it behind the couch. True story.

Oh, how times have changed.

So, this is a fancy and fun way to serve asparagus, the springtime queen of green veggies. It’s easy to throw together, and makes a totally impressive table presentation.

This appetizer recipe is my contribution to the Kraft Breakstone’s Holiday Celebration Program. Check out a handful of other great Easter recipes from the other program bloggers here.

The short version of the recipe goes like this

Basically, you take three spears of asparagus, wrap them in prosciutto and puff pastry, then bake for about 20 minutes.

The asparagus is fork tender. The prosciutto is crisp and salty. The puff pastry is golden and buttery.

I served it with a tangy sauce made with Breakstone’s Sour Cream and Parmesan cheese that’s laced with cracked black pepper and fresh, minced sage.

Use regular, medium sized asparagus

The huge stalks might not cook through before the pastry burns. The super skinny stalks will get mushy on you (you know the ones I mean…the little scrawny guys that could double as toothpicks and barely stand up on their own).

Buy domestic prosciutto—not imported

When I’m cooking with prosciutto, I always buy domestic prosciutto—not imported. It’s significantly less expensive, and tastes just as good. Save the imported stuff for antipasto platters or other cold apps.

If you can, make the sauce a day ahead of time

Mince up your fresh sage. Five or 6 leaves should give you about a teaspoon.

Toss the sage in the bowl. Add a little freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. Skip adding any extra salt until you taste the sauce at the end. It should have plenty from the cheese.

Mix with a whisk or wooden spoon.

Give it a taste and correct the seasoning if you think it needs it.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Right before serving, garnish it with a few whole sage leaves.

Do a little prep

Take your puff pastry out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to use it. Unwrap one sheet and let it sit on the counter to thaw.

Rinse your asparagus under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Trim the asparagus

Asparagus ends can get a little woody. Nip off the bottom half inch with a sharp knife.

Wrap the asparagus bundles

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Lay a slice of prosciutto down. Set three spears on top of it, so that they’re centered.

Roll the asparagus up in the prosciutto.

Grab your puff pastry. It’s most likely folded in thirds. Unfold it so you have one big sheet.

Cut off a long strip that’s about an inch or so wide.

Basically, you want to cut the pastry so that it makes a band around the prosciutto, like this:

Wrap the puff pastry strip around the prosciutto.

Trim it so that the ends just meet underneath.

To make the bow, cut a thin strip of puff pastry.

Fold one end over in a loop.

Then cross it with another loop to form a bow.

Dab the pastry with a little cold water, and set the bow down in the center. The water will help it to stick. Press down gently in the center (where the knot on the bow would be) to help secure it. If you’re not crazy about bows, definitely make another shape decoration. Hearts would be good. Stars. You get the picture.

Carefully transfer the bundle to your parchment lined pan.

Repeat until you’ve made all your bundles.

Brush & bake

Beat one egg in a medium sized bowl.

With a brush (or your fingertips), gently dab the puff pastry with beaten egg. This will give the baked pastry a really nice gloss.

Brush the exposed parts of the asparagus with a tiny bit of olive oil.

Pop the pan into your pre-heated oven. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

Serve & enjoy!

When the pastry is puffed and golden, remove the pan from the oven.

The bottoms should be brown, as well.

Transfer to a serving platter.

Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with the sage-infused sour cream sauce.

If you’re going to plate them individually, put a smear of sauce on the plate, and nestle an asparagus bundle on top. (Do this *right* before serving, so the sauce doesn’t make the pastry soggy.)

Put the sour cream in a medium-sized bowl. Toss in the grated Parmesan.

Mince up your fresh sage. Five or 6 leaves should give you about a teaspoon.

Toss the sage in the bowl. Add a little freshly cracked black pepper, to taste.

Mix with a whisk or wooden spoon.

Give it a taste and correct the seasoning if you think it needs it.

Transfer to a serving bowl. Right before serving, garnish it with a few whole sage leaves.

Take your puff pastry out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to use it. Unwrap one sheet and let it sit on the counter to thaw.

Rinse your asparagus under cold water. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Nip off the bottom half inch of each asparagus stalk with a sharp knife.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Lay a slice of prosciutto down. Set three spears on top of it, so that they're centered.

Roll the asparagus up in the prosciutto.

Grab your puff pastry. It's most likely folded in thirds. Unfold it so you have one big sheet. Cut off a long strip that's about an inch or so wide. Wrap the puff pastry strip around the prosciutto. Trim it so that the ends just meet underneath.

To make the bow, cut a thin strip of puff pastry. Fold one end over in a loop. Then cross it with another loop to form a bow. Dab the pastry with a little cold water, and set the bow down in the center. The water will help it to stick. Press down gently in the center (where the knot on the bow would be) to help secure it.

Carefully transfer the bundle to your parchment lined pan.

Repeat until you've made all your bundles.

Beat one egg in a medium sized bowl. With a brush (or your fingertips), gently dab the puff pastry with beaten egg. This will give the baked pastry a really nice gloss.

Pop the pan into your pre-heated oven. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

When the pastry is puffed and golden, remove the pan from the oven. Transfer to a serving platter.

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Jessie Cross is a cookbook author and creator of The Hungry Mouse, a monster online food blog w/500+ recipes. When she's not shopping for cheese or baking pies, Jessie serves as an Associate Creative Director at PARTNERS+simons, a boutique ad agency in Boston. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her husband and two small, fluffy wolves.

I'm sorry but domestic proscuitto is not "just as good as the imported stuff".. There is a significant difference and in my opinion the imported Prosciutto Di Parma (the original prosciutto) is well worth the hefty price tag. Domestic prosciutto is always overly salty with no flavor. Even the texture is different. Imported has that nice waxy, shiny texture, while the domestic feels (and tastes) like an overly salted slice of ham. This recipe with imported prosciutto would be twice as good.

[...] So if you guys thought my last appetizer, Pea Pesto Crostini, was the most perfect app to bring to a party – meet it’s competition! This is a healthy vegetable side or hors d’oeuvres, it is so delicious and, it is too cute to boot!! I served it with a NY strip steak topped with a latin-chimichuri inspired puree and kale over a bed of healthified garlic mashed potatoes. (Asparagus recipe adapted from Jessie over at The Hungry Mouse) [...]

we have a good toaster oven at work, so I made the dipping sauce ahead of time and wrapped 3 bundles of these in the morning (which took less time than making a sandwich or salad) and took them to work. I made them at lunch, and all my coworkers marveled. These are so easy, and with it being asparagus season, a perfect little pick me up to a vegetable I'm eating everyday.

I made these tonight for dinner... Prepped the asparagus this morning threw some plastic wrap sprayed with crisco so it wouldnt stick and dry out.. Threw them in the oven and they were PERFECT!!!!!! I didn't have the stuff to make the sauce though.. :( Was still really good! Thanks for the recipe...

I'm planning to make these tomorrow for an early Valentine's Day dinner with my beau. I have had this recipe bookmarked for a LONG time and am super excited to make them. Just a quick note about the recipe portions. For 12 asparagus spears shouldn't you only need 4 slices of prosciutto, not 12? Will be posting back here with how they came out! Thanks for a lovely passionate artful site.